[Archived] News comment

[thenodrog]

The weakest and poorest have suffered at the hands of the wealthiest for 4 long years - enough is enough.

If that is the case then surely it should serve to insentivise and galvanise? It would me and im sure it would you. Should make working hard at school more attractive too. Necessity is the mother of invention remember.

[jim mk2]

I'm talking about the people who are unable to help themselves - the sick and the lame, the ones who cannot work.

You have to admire this govt in some ways - its ability to make the people at the bottom of society somehow responsible for the greed and irresponsibility of those at the top is remarkable. Benefits Street was a case in point - the programme should have been called Tax Evaders Avenue.

Zero hour contacts have been around for years - my mum was on one with Boots over 20 years ago and it was brilliant for both her and the chemist. She didn't have to commit to work when she didn't want, and between her and two other mature employees, there was never a time when there was under or over staffing to supplement permanent staff. All parties were every pleased with the flexibility and opportunities provided.

Agreed that they are probably being abused in some cases but they aren't inherently a bad idea.

Boots is a fine paternalistic organisation that looks after its employees. Unfortunately they are few and far between and zero hours is being exploited by the unscrupulous companies and individuals to exploit people. Zero hours contracts need to be banned.

[thenodrog]

I'm talking about the people who are unable to help themselves - the sick and the lame, the ones who cannot work.

I've no problems with those. You must admit though if we can get rid of the parasites, long term scroungers and work shy that we will have more resources and more money available to look after those in real need of support and help. I'm sure most will agree.

[JAL]

I've no problems with those. You must admit though if we can get rid of the parasites, long term scroungers and work shy that we will have more resources and more money available to look after those in real need of support and help. I'm sure most will agree.

How do you get rid of these parasites come long term scroungers in a market that only has 500k jobs and 2.5million desperately fighting over them.

[Audax]

Boko Haram, they have overstepped for a long time, this kidnapping 200 schoolgirls now has International Powers going to Nigeria to aid in the search. I've long kept up with current events in Nigeria.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa/

They said on TV what I've thought; in Nigeria, via the border, you can have all kinds of Terrorists going in there just like in Afghanistan, you can have all sorts going in. In Nigeria, they can come through via impoverished nations like Niger.

That head of Boko Haram is going to be taken down now. For some years, Nigeria has produced some "mean" terrorists if that is not an oxymoron to say.

The Nigerian President Goodluck Johnathan saw the Army launch a very harsh offensive on BH in the past 2 years that got human rights groups a bit in an uproar.

The Northern part has been where this terror has long happened, I believe I heard the BH shot down a lot of people the other day.

Also, they killed some medical personnel not long ago for giving out vaccinations; among those killed included foreigners, Koreans.

So, the world is finally going to perhaps crack down on BH in Nigeria. Nigeria's population is 170 million plus.

[yoda]

Hey Adolf !

How do you get rid of these parasites come long term scroungers in a market that only has 500k jobs and 2.5million desperately fighting over them.

Depends where you live as to how many are competing

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/feb/06/unemployment-vacancies-ratio,

If you believe the figures then why are we still allowing people into the country

[Al]

Hey Adolf !

How do you get rid of these parasites come long term scroungers in a market that only has 500k jobs and 2.5million desperately fighting over them.

Simple. Stop immigration and repatriate foreign criminals.

[thenodrog]

Hey Adolf !

How do you get rid of these parasites come long term scroungers in a market that only has 500k jobs and 2.5million desperately fighting over them.

Adolf? You are being 'typically stereotypical' as so many of your ilk.

JAL... You should try and work it out for yourself but it might just become clearer to you if you simply subtract a few million migrant workers from the workforce. Instead we have literally millions of long term unemployed (able) sat on their arses taking govt handouts and passing the word between themselves about how great food banks are.

https://fullfact.org/factchecks/have_4_million_migrants_taken_uk_jobs-29262

btw... I know someone who works voluntarily at one of those food banks and some of the stories about the expectations and demands of some of their 'clients' would make your hair curl.

[thenodrog]

If you believe the figures then why are we still allowing people into the country

Obviously cos we never learn. Blackburn and surrounding towns have been half filled with cheap labour from the Indian sub-continent for the cotton industry...... 40 years after the cotton industry was moved to the Indian sub-continent! Absolute madness!

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Boko Haram, they have overstepped for a long time, this kidnapping 200 schoolgirls now has International Powers going to Nigeria to aid in the search. I've long kept up with current events in Nigeria.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa/

They said on TV what I've thought; in Nigeria, via the border, you can have all kinds of Terrorists going in there just like in Afghanistan, you can have all sorts going in. In Nigeria, they can come through via impoverished nations like Niger.

That head of Boko Haram is going to be taken down now. For some years, Nigeria has produced some "mean" terrorists if that is not an oxymoron to say.

The Nigerian President Goodluck Johnathan saw the Army launch a very harsh offensive on BH in the past 2 years that got human rights groups a bit in an uproar.

The Northern part has been where this terror has long happened, I believe I heard the BH shot down a lot of people the other day.

Also, they killed some medical personnel not long ago for giving out vaccinations; among those killed included foreigners, Koreans.

So, the world is finally going to perhaps crack down on BH in Nigeria. Nigeria's population is 170 million plus.

Another nauseating example of Islam's conquest of Africa. That religion is the ultimate enemy of progress and tolerance.

[thenodrog]

Simple. Stop immigration and repatriate foreign criminals.

Rather too little too late. Given birth rates amongst UK muslims as an example those numbers simply wont stack up.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3971041.ece

[thenodrog]

Another nauseating example of Islam's conquest of Africa. That religion is the ultimate enemy of progress and tolerance.

Careful SKH. You stand the risk of being castigated as a bigot and even a racist these days. You might even get called Adolf by the less cerebral amongst our number. .

[JAL]

Adolf? You are being 'typically stereotypical' as so many of your ilk.

JAL... You should try and work it out for yourself but it might just become clearer to you if you simply subtract a few million migrant workers from the workforce. Instead we have literally millions of long term unemployed (able) sat on their arses taking govt handouts and passing the word between themselves about how great food banks are.

https://fullfact.org/factchecks/have_4_million_migrants_taken_uk_jobs-29262

btw... I know someone who works voluntarily at one of those food banks and some of the stories about the expectations and demands of some of their 'clients' would make your hair curl.

Apologies for the Adolf comment theno.

But its ignorant and totally dismissive of you to have pop at the less fortunate than yourself theno. Three million families in poverty, a million people relying on food hand outs,.... its great here for some that is but not all.

In response to why immigration is allowed to continue would have thought the main reasons are something to do with :-

keeping labour costs down first and foremost.

fill the void created by the lack of births.

fill the void created by the hidden numbers of people dying every day of cancer and all of us who await this fate.

fill the void of the many who take their lives through suicide.

show progressive population growth for claiming EU grants etc.,

fill the void created by the failed state education system where applicable.

[yoda]

Apologies for the Adolf comment theno.

But its ignorant and totally dismissive of you to have pop at the less fortunate than yourself theno. Three million families in poverty, a million people relying on food hand outs,.... its great here for some that is but not all.

In response to why immigration is allowed to continue would have thought the main reasons are something to do with :-

keeping labour costs down first and foremost.

fill the void created by the lack of births.

fill the void created by the hidden numbers of people dying every day of cancer and all of us who await this fate.

fill the void of the many who take their lives through suicide.

show progressive population growth for claiming EU grants etc.,

fill the void created by the failed state education system where applicable.

keeping labour costs down first and foremost. - that should keep the food banks busy

fill the void created by the lack of births. - er! the population is rising

fill the void created by the hidden numbers of people dying every day of cancer and all of us who await this fate - smaller healthier population = more to go round in the NHS, someone should do an audit on the parcels posted to the sub continent!

fill the void of the many who take their lives through suicide. - you just threw that in right ?

show progressive population growth for claiming EU grants etc., - the French have this stitched up

fill the void created by the failed state education system where applicable. - you sure ? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-27326399

[thenodrog]

Apologies for the Adolf comment theno.

But its ignorant and totally dismissive of you to have pop at the less fortunate than yourself theno. Three million families in poverty, a million people relying on food hand outs,.... its great here for some that is but not all.

In response to why immigration is allowed to continue would have thought the main reasons are something to do with :-

keeping labour costs down first and foremost.

fill the void created by the lack of births.

fill the void created by the hidden numbers of people dying every day of cancer and all of us who await this fate.

fill the void of the many who take their lives through suicide.

show progressive population growth for claiming EU grants etc.,

fill the void created by the failed state education system where applicable.

Thanks for that ...... but tbh I can't see a valid reason in any of those points. In fact I'd describe most of them as faintly pathetic. Those points are just so weak it's untrue. You should erase them imo if you want to retain any sort of credibility on here.

To answer a couple of points above.......

1. Dunno about three million cos that seems extraordinarily excessive but the actual term you are looking for is not 'poverty' per sae but rather the much watered down version of 'relative poverty'. At this point could I point out that I'd have lived in relative poverty too if I'd chosen to p1ss about at school and join the ranks of the long term unemployed 40 years ago.

2. I can't believe anybody needs to 'rely' on food handouts. Food is ridiculously cheap for those that choose to cook properly and not unwrap TV dinners and microwave them. They didn't rely on them 2 years ago when they weren't in place did they? Whats changed in that time other than word has 'got round' that free food is up for grabs?

[JAL]

Thanks for that ...... but tbh I can't see a valid reason in any of those points. In fact I'd describe most of them as faintly pathetic. Those points are just so weak it's untrue. You should erase them imo if you want to retain any sort of credibility on here.

To answer a couple of points above.......

1. Dunno about three million cos that seems extraordinarily excessive but the term you are looking for is not poverty but rather the much watered down version of 'relative' poverty. At this point could I point out that I'd have lived in relative poverty too if I'd chosen to p1ss about at school and join the ranks of the long term unemployed 40 years ago.

2. I can't believe anybody needs to 'rely' on food handouts. Food is ridiculously cheap for those that choose to cook properly and not unwrap TV dinners and microwave them. They didn't rely on them 2 years ago when they weren't in place did they? Whats changed in that time other than word has 'got round' that free food is up for grabs?

Its easy to dismiss others when your life is comfortable and progressive, but like football, we have to accept that there are so many divisions in life and within those there are winners and losers and perennial losers at that and it isnt going to change much for these people unless they receive help wether we think they maybe taking the Micheal out of us or others.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Careful SKH. You stand the risk of being castigated as a bigot and even a racist these days. You might even get called Adolf by the less cerebral amongst our number. .

Yeah I know, sometimes I just get irritated enough that I feel like stating the obvious anyway. I'm sure the media will enthusiastically claim Boko Haram have nothing to do with Islam and are some freakish lunatic group completely unconnected to how any other Muslims feel. The reality is they're simply the most extreme version on a sliding scale. Some Muslims think women should have total equality with men, some think they shouldn't work, some think they shouldn't be educated, some are willing to perform honour killings if they marry or are in relationships with "infidels", some are willing to kidnap them en masse. Its a sliding scale all motivated by one poisonous doctrine that belongs in the past and depressingly shows no sign whatsoever of sodding off there.

[yoda]

Ed Miliband's first task when he takes office after the next election is to outlaw zero hours contracts.

His second is raise the minimum wage to a living wage and give the courts powers to prosecute all employers who do not implement it.

Third is clamp down on tax avoiders and evaders.

The weakest and poorest have suffered at the hands of the wealthiest for 4 long years - enough is enough.

What makes you think he can prioritise, looks like he would prefer to look after himself before doing something for the people he claims he wants to represent

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27336551

[thenodrog]

What makes you think he can prioritise, looks like he would prefer to look after himself before doing something for the people he claims he wants to represent

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27336551

Miliband screwed up big time there didn't he? tbh I'm sure Ed wouldn't have anything to bring to that particular party anyway as he has no experience of business matters or even work itself, never actually having done any. He'd likely be sat in a corner with a Dunces hat on. Quite significant that this particular episode shows the age old Labour priority of putting silly and largely irrelevent politicking before the economy and the well being and wealth of the entire country.

[thenodrog]

Its easy to dismiss others when your life is comfortable and progressive, but like football, we have to accept that there are so many divisions in life and within those there are winners and losers and perennial losers at that and it isnt going to change much for these people unless they receive help wether we think they maybe taking the Micheal out of us or others.

We ALL depend on the wealth creators. They are our modern day hunter gatherers. Without them the 'losers' as you call them would starve.

Here this may not be to your taste but you really need to keep an open mind, heed the actual message rather than the messenger if it makes you feel better ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okHGCz6xxiw

[yoda]

We ALL depend on the wealth creators. They are our modern day hunter gatherers. Without them the 'losers' as you call them would starve.

Here this may not be to your taste but you really need to keep an open mind, heed the actual message rather than the messenger if it makes you feel better ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okHGCz6xxiw

That will have Jim hyper

[thenodrog]

That will have Jim hyper

Only cos it's basically true.

The Labour led Blackburn Council influenced by envy and bitterness nurtured from the cradle has been cutting off it's nose to spite it's face for generations now. Pretty certain thats why Jim chose to take up the option of white flight and move out to the leafy lanes of the Ribble Valley. The ninth safest conservative seat I seem to recall.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Here this may not be to your taste but you really need to keep an open mind, heed the actual message rather than the messenger if it makes you feel better ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okHGCz6xxiw

You'll have to forgive me if I say something daft here, not exactly an expert on economics and never really come down on either side of the fence politically regarding it.

Personally I would accept the situation in the link attached if its the only way (an increased wealth gap is essential to improving the income of the poor). However is the situation true of the last 10 years? Because it seems to me that over that period the wealth gap has sky-rocketed and the real wage (i.e. accounting for inflation and rise in the cost of living) of poor paying jobs has declined.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Miliband screwed up big time there didn't he? tbh I'm sure Ed wouldn't have anything to bring to that particular party anyway as he has no experience of business matters or even work itself, never actually having done any. He'd likely be sat in a corner with a Dunces hat on. Quite significant that this particular episode shows the age old Labour priority of putting silly and largely irrelevent politicking before the economy and the well being and wealth of the entire country.

You mean as opposed to the age old Tory priority of looking after their wealthy ex school chums in the City.

[JAL]

We ALL depend on the wealth creators. They are our modern day hunter gatherers. Without them the 'losers' as you call them would starve.

Definitely theno but how many of these wealth creators have disappeared to other shores ?